Temporal Changes Over Major Antarctic Ice Shelve Margins During 2001–2016

Abstract

In spite of importance of the ice shelves as a probable sign of global climate change, temporal changes of Antarctic ice shelf margins are largely unknown. In the present article, an attempt has been made for chronological mapping of major four Antarctic ice shelf fronts for the period 2001–2016, using MODerate resolution Imaging Satellite images. Vector layers of individual ice shelves from 2001 to 2015 have been overlaid on the image of 2016. It is found that all the four ice shelves have advanced; the Filchner ice shelf advanced maximum (24 km) and the Ross ice shelf advanced minimum (16 km). Maximum range in yearly rate of advance is observed at Ronne Ice Shelf and the highest variability in rate of advance is observed over Filchner ice shelf. In terms of area change, maximum expansion occurred at Ronne ice shelf (8813 km2) and least expansion is observed over Amery ice shelf (2520 km2). Poor correlation between rates of change at different ice shelves suggests that different atmospheric and oceanic drivers are responsible for changes at individual ice shelves. Interestingly, the highest rate of advance as well as higher variability in rate of advance is observed over the latter half of the study period.